Winter Rose Care & Pruning
Although major rose pruning is not done until late February into early March, there are a few things I do to get roses settled in for the winter. First, I wait until the first frost has occurred before I do anything. That happened on December 1 this year, a little later than normal. If you do any pruning prior to that, new growth will be encouraged, and it will just be nipped later. I will then do minimal pruning, about 1/3 of the plant or to about waist-high. It does not matter how you make the cuts. More precise pruning will be done in late winter. Giving roses a slight pruning at this time will decrease the damage from strong winter winds. Roses are not deeply rooted, and any long canes can spell trouble. Pick off any remaining leaves, if possible. I know that can be a big job if there are still many leaves left on the plant but you don't want leaves, especially diseased leaves, left to fall and harbor spores for next season. Clean the area around the base of the rose. Rake out ...
Our landfill has stopped giving away leaf mulch. Seems there's some state regulation against it unless they test it and have the proper permits. Too bad too, I used a lot of it for a couple years to create new beds. At some point, I'll have to actually purchase compost for $10/truck load.
ReplyDeleteIt is back breaking work. Just seeing your pictures makes me ache.
Unfortunately our local service agency stopped processing yard waste into compost. Seems the people who built homes next to the composting site, after the facility was already there, did not like the smell. Now all this green and brown fertilizer gets buried with regular household trash.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are up and at 'em again today Phillip. It is the most satisfying feeling getting the mulch spread. Like icing on a cake. Everything looks so yummy. I envy that pine straw. We used to have our own, but our pine trees are all gone.
ReplyDeleteI do hope your back is better this morning. That is heavy lifting and bending for sure.
ReplyDeleteI wish you could give The Muscian mulch lessons. LOL He loves to mulch, but I can't tell you how many plants I have to go uncover after he is finished. He's not a gardener and has been known to pull weeds that I had to replant because they were seedlings of mine!
Have a wonderful day!
Phillip, it looks great. Mulching a bed is a finishing touch, like putting a frame on a painting... not exactly, but that comes to mind after we have mulched an areas. Sorry about the back, but a few ibuprofen (plus a couple advil) usually helps me. Likely that will be what happens this evening since the sun is supposed to shine. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteWow, and here I thought it was a lot of work to mulch my little gardens LOL. Those two pain pills were well deserved! :)
ReplyDeleteYou are smart to listen to your back and not push to get more mulching done. I have to do the same thing. Kudos to you for getting the pine mulch off the curb! I do that all the time with bags of mulched leaves I boost off the curb! Everything looks so neat with a layer of mulch. I plan to do mine next week.
ReplyDeleteOne of my main projects this year is to build a compost pile - A year ago, when we bought our house, I didn't know if I'd generate enough yard material to have a successful pile, but after a little bit of analyis, I know I will.
ReplyDeleteThink of it as healthy exercise.
ReplyDeleteCould have been more backbraking weeding all summer if you didn't mulch. I know what you mean though, apart from the obvious mulch benefits, it does pull everything together.
Seeing the progress in your garden is one of my favorite things to see when I log on...it's always so beautiful! You have a great eye!
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks fabulous.
ReplyDeleteOMG Phillip! You reigned the roses on the front slope! I know you've been wanting to do this, since I was living in the valley. When did you do it? It looks great! Too bad the drive to Charlotte is so long; otherwise, you could help me mulch. I'm shovel pruning almost every rose in the yard (rose rosette). My neighbor finally cut down the massive rosa multiflora that is the suspected carrier. So maybe next year I can plant more. We'll see. I MISS YOU and Michael. N.O., LA looked like fun!
ReplyDeleteMulch makes everything look good. I laid some leaves and shredded pine bark on my beds. I need at least three more bags to complete one garden. Will get it today. I love mulch. Your gardens are beautiful.~~Dee
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